out
and went to the cook tent and in a moment Felicia came flying into the
engine house and threw her arms around Roger.

"I won't stay where Dicky is," she panted. "I won't!"

The child was trembling violently. Roger sat down and held her to his
heart.

"Dick won't hurt you, honey, now. It's only when he's sick."

Felicia shuddered. "He slapped me and he knocked Charley over with his
fist and in the night I dream about it. I am going to live with you. You
won't get mad again like you did with Gustav, will you, Roger?"

Roger bowed his forehead on the soft bronze brown head that rested so
confidently on his breast.

"You do love poor old Roger, don't you, sweetheart?" he asked, brokenly.

As if she sensed some secret pain, Felicia turned and put her arms about
him and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you as much as I do
Charley. Don't send me back to Dicky, dearest Roger."

"I won't." Roger's lips tightened grimly.

Charley came out to lunch that noon, looking much stronger.

"I'm so grateful to you, Roger and Elsa," she said, "and after I've
helped with the dishes, if you'll loan me Peter, we'll go home."

Roger dropped his knife and fork, then looked at Felicia. "Felicia, you
know Roger's trunk? Well, if you'll run to the living tent and open the
trunk and take all the things out of it, at the very bottom you'll find
some Christmas cake Elsa made last year. Then put all the things back
carefully and bring the cake here."

Felicia gave an ecstatic "Oh, Roger!" and disappeared. Roger turned to
Charley.

"I'm going to say one more thing. Do you realize fully that in living
with Dick you jeopardize both yours and Felicia's lives?"

"Oh, no, Roger! He never touched us before. It was the poison in that
cologne."

Roger shrugged his shoulders.

"How can you be so hard?" pleaded Charley. "Dick's my own flesh and
blood. It might have been I instead of Dick with this appetite. You're
hard, Roger."

"I'm not hard. I'm disappointed. I didn't think you were a
sentimentalist."

"I wonder," exclaimed Elsa, "how women will ever get time to vote when
it takes all their time to make men endurable to live with. My word! I'm
glad I haven't one of the critters!"

She said this with such heartfelt sincerity that Charley laughed and
Roger joined her. By the time Felicia came running back with the
Christmas cake, the atmosphere was considerably lighter.

"We're going home, Felicia! Aren't you glad I'm well ag